Toys and Games - Totally the 80's

Transformers Toys and the Robot Every Kid Swore Was Best

Every kid had a favorite Transformer, and they defended that pick like it was family business. Maybe you were an Optimus Prime loyalist. Maybe you went full chaos goblin and…

Pop Culture Discontinued Treats Fads Favorite Foods Food Toys and Games Trends

Push Pop Candy and the Click Every Kid Remembered

You didn't eat a push pop candy the way you ate an ordinary lollipop. You clicked it up, took a few proud licks, snapped the cap back on, and carried…

Pop Culture Fads Toys and Games Trends

Why the Sears Wish Book Was the Catalog Kids Waited For

The mailbox used to carry actual suspense. Not bills, not coupons, not junk, but the Sears Wish Book, thick as a winter sweater and loaded with possibility. If you were…

Pop Culture Arcade Classics Toys and Games Video Games

Atari 2600: The Console That Took Over Living Rooms

Before downloads, save files, and giant launch trailers, one wood-paneled box made the family TV feel like pure possibility. The Atari 2600 didn't break into homes by talking to hobbyists…

Pop Culture Toys and Games

Why the Glo Worm Toy Belonged Beside Every Pillow

Some toys shouted for attention. Glo Worm whispered. If you grew up in the 80s, you can probably still picture that little glowing face waiting on the bed, tucked near…

Pop Culture Toys and Games Video Games

Why the Game Boy Was the Handheld Every Kid Wanted

You didn't need to own a Game Boy to know who had one. You heard it in the back seat, saw it at recess, and spotted that gray rectangle peeking…

Pop Culture Arcade Classics Discontinued Treats Food Toys and Games Video Games

Pac-Man Cereal and the Ghost Marshmallows We Still Miss

Some cereals fed you. A few gave you a whole little Saturday morning mood. Pac-Man cereal did that with one bright, goofy, brilliant move: it dropped Pac-Man and his ghost…

Pop Culture Fads Toys and Games Trends

Rainbow Brite Dolls and the Colorful World Kids Couldn’t Resist

Some toys asked for attention. Rainbow Brite dolls practically glowed. If you were a kid in the 1980s, you probably clocked them in a split second. Bright yarn hair. Candy-colored…

Pop Culture Toys and Games

Pound Puppies: The Soft Shelter Dogs Kids Loved

Some toys asked to be bought. Pound Puppies and the Pound Puppies Classic line asked to be saved. That was the whole trick, and in the mid-80s it worked like…

Pop Culture Action Figures Saturday Morning Cartoons Toys and Games

He-Man and Castle Grayskull: Why the Power Still Matters

"By the power of Grayskull!" You can hear it, can't you? Even before the sword goes up, the castle is already doing half the work. For 80s kids, Castle Grayskull…